Exterminator Guilty In Illegal Spray Use

Local, State, Federal Officials Attempting To Find, Clean Homes

As Ruben Brown pleaded guilty Thursday to misdemeanor charges of illegally spraying roach killer, there was no mention of the enormous damage he had done.

In a 20-minute hearing before U.S. District Court Judge W. Thomas Rosemond Jr., Brown, standing in blue jeans and a stained knit sport shirt, quietly admitted that he had illegally sprayed "cotton poison" in two homes.

In fact, investigators believe Brown sprayed as many as 1,000 homes with the poison, technically known as methyl parathion. An army of local, state and federal scientists and technicians are working to clean those homes, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has estimated could cost up to $20 million.

Already, nine families have been told they will be moved temporarily from their homes, which will be gutted at a cost to taxpayers of about $100,000 per home. The EPA guesses that as many as 100 families may eventually have to be moved.

Brown, a 61-year-old retired butcher, had built up a large clientele with his cash-only extermination business, advertised by word of mouth on the South and West Sides as well as some close-in suburbs.

He established his reputation as an effective exterminator because methyl parathion, which is used legally outdoors in cotton fields, remains lethal to bugs for months, even longer when sprayed indoors. He was known as "the guy with the Mississippi stuff," investigators say.

Methyl parathion can be fatal if swallowed. In the South, workers exposed to the chemical have reported impaired memory, depression, confusion, speech difficulties and nightmares.

Along with spraying, Brown admitted selling customers the pesticide in unmarked beverage bottles, and officials have set up a hot line (888-889-6542) for those who believe they have the poison in their homes.

Urine tests done on 39 families show that at least nine have high enough levels of the pesticide in their bodies to warrant a cleanup of their homes.

Buchman summarized a plea agreement in which Brown admitted spraying the pesticide in two homes, one in the 7600 block of South Phillips Avenue, the other in the 4700 block of West Congress Parkway.

When sentenced in November, Brown could receive up to two years in prison and a $200,000 fine, Buchman said.

Brown's lawyer, Richard Dickinson, has said Brown did not fully understand how dangerous the pesticide was.

During the hearing, Brown, who appeared relaxed and even laughed twice, misunderstood several of the judge's questions.

When asked if he had taken any drugs or pills, Brown answered that he was on medication for diabetes and high blood pressure.

When asked if he understood the charges against him, though, Brown solemnly answered, "Yes."